Each year in the United States and other countries numerous forest fires are inadvertently set off by those who carelessly and improperly make, maintain, and extinguish campfires. Thus, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a campfire which is contained, does not emit dangerous sparks, provides desirable heat, and is readily extinguished.
In the prior art there are numerous portable devices and fuel compositions which are designed to provide a convenient fire without the problem of gathering wood or other fuel and continuously feeding it to the fire. One such fuel is the common firelog which typically is sawdust held together with a wax binder which is extruded and then wrapped in a paper starter. However, the typical firelog is heavy, inconvenient to transport, sometimes difficult to light, and requires a supporting grate or fire stand. It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a relatively lightweight fire assembly which is easy to start and does not require any additional grates or stands or supporting structure.
Another common apparatus in the prior art for providing a portable, relatively quick means of providing a fire is a gas stove or burner. However, these require the transportation of a heavy "bottle" or tank of gas and burner or stove parts, and at least some time and effort in assembling and setting up the burners, tanks, and stove. In addition, besides being bulky, heavy, and time consuming these gas devices are relatively expensive and require regular maintenance to keep them operating satisfactorily. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a campfire and cooker which is lightweight, requires no set-up, and is relatively inexpensive.
Another type of portable heat or fire device is the "canned heat" which is an alcohol gel in a can. These often are used as the heat source for chafing dishes or the like where heat with low ash and few obnoxious combustion products is desired within an enclosed area. However, while clean and portable, the alcohol gels do not produce the same heat output, intensity, and ability to remain lighted that is desirable for campfires or cookers. Thus, it is yet another object of the present invention to provide an assembly which produces a flame which has a relatively high heat output and satisfactorily maintains a flame under varied conditions. These and others objects are provided by the invention described below.
The process of making the aforementioned products and devices often requires numerous steps in the production process and expensive extrusion equipment. Therefore, still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a simple and economical method of producing the assembly of the present invention.